Say My Name “YAHWEH”
Psalm 23:1
This week Pastor James Taught us about the importance of God's name. He taught that "The Lord" is not a title for God, it’s a name. God has a name. And to clarify, it’s not God. It’s Yahweh. That might sound unimportant, like it’s just semantics, but it’s not. The fact that God has a name is way more important than you might realize. It has the potential to alter how you relate to God. YHWH, Yahweh, or Jehovah (symbolized in your English Bibles by LORD in all caps.) It’s not a title it is the divine personal name of God. It’s a very unusual name, and this week, we will discuss how we should understand and relate to God as our shepherd.
1. What stood out to you in Pastor James’ sermon this week?
2. Read Exodus 3:10-13. How many times do you find the word “God” in these four verses? What strikes you about Moses’ question in verse 13?
3. Read Exodus 3:14. Moses got his answer! What would you say if your close friend came to you with this verse and asked you what it meant?
4. Read Exodus 3:15. God provides a little more clarity here for Moses. He tells Moses exactly what to say. In His response, God reveals His name as "I AM WHO I AM". This name signifies God's eternal existence, unchanging nature, and constant presence. How does recognizing God as Yahweh, the abundantly self-sufficient One, change our perspective on our needs, worries, and anxieties?
In his sermon, Pastor James highlighted three key aspects of God's name:
I. Yahweh Conveys that God is Personally Present: God is not an abstract concept but a relational being who desires to be known and involved in our lives.
5. Read Exodus 3:6-7. Giving your personal name is an invitation to a relationship. God is showing His desire to be known personally. How has God revealed himself to you? How has that changed your life?
6. How can knowing God is personally present influence our daily lives, decisions, and prayers?
II. Yahweh Reveals that God is Forever Faithful: God's immutability means He never changes, and His promises remain firm. We can rely on His unchanging character and faithfulness.
7. How can this knowledge strengthen our faith and trust in God during challenging times?
III. Yahweh Shows that God is Abundantly Self-Sufficient: God lacks nothing and is the source of all provision. He meets our needs, and we can depend on His infinite resources.
8. How does recognizing God as Yahweh, the abundantly self-sufficient One, change our perspective on our needs, worries, and anxieties?
9. Reread Psalm 23:1: "The LORD (YAHWEH) is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” As a group, take some time to pray, specifically thanking God for how He has provided for you.
Pastor James’ Sermon Notes:
Say My Name “YAHWEH”
• (Psalm 23:1 NIV) "1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing."
• (Psalm 23:4 NIV) "I will fear no evil, for you are with me!”
• (Exodus 3:10 NIV) "10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”"
• (Exodus 3:11 NIV) "11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”"
• (Exodus 3:12 NIV) "12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”"
• (Exodus 3:13 NIV) "13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”"
• (Exodus 3:14 NIV) "14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM (Ehyeh) has sent me to you.’ ”"
• (Exodus 3:15 NIV) "15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD (YHWY) the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation."
• Ehyeh = “I am.” YHWY = “He is I am.”
• YHWY -> ADONAY -> YAHOWAH -> JEHOVAH -> The LORD
• (Psalm 23:1 NIV) "1 The LORD (YAHWEH) is my shepherd, I lack nothing."
• (Psalm 16:8 NIV) "8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD (YAHWEH). With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
• (Psalm 16:9 NIV) "9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,"
• YAHWEH: I AM Personally Present.
• (Exodus 3:6 NIV) "6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God."
• (Exodus 3:7 NIV) "7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering."
• (Psalm 139:1–3 NIV) "1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways."
• (Jeremiah 9:23–24 NIV) "23 This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD.”
• (Hosea 6:6 NLT) "I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."
• (John 17:3 NIV) "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
• "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17)
• (Genesis 6:6 NIV) "6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
• (Psalm 34:15 NIV) "15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry…The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles."
• YAHWEH: I AM Forever Faithful
• (Psalm 18:31 NIV) "31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?"
• (Malachi 3:6 NIV) "6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed."
• (Psalm 33:11 NIV) "11 The plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."
• (Psalm 119:89–90 NIV) "89 Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. 90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures."
• (James 1:17 NIV) "17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
• (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) "8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
• (Hebrews 10:23 NIV) "23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
• Yahweh: I AM Abundantly All-Sufficient.
• (Exodus 3:11 NIV) "11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”"
• (Exodus 3:12 NIV) "And God said, “I will be with you!
• (Exodus 3:14 NIV) "God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”"